Societies

Joining a society offers unique experiences, networking and professional development opportunities whatever your level of study.

One of the strengths of studying with us is the wide range of student societies available. Our main societies are:

Manchester University Law Society (MULS)

MULS is a society run by students for students which aims to bring students across the School together through activities sponsored by local and regional law firms. Enjoy being part of socials, such as seasonal balls, pub quizzes and trips abroad, and join one of the many sports teams which include football, rugby and netball.

MULS also promotes the importance of the weekly skills sessions and presentations, as an addition to the academic teaching.

Manchester University Criminology Society (MUCS)

A society exclusively for those who have an interest in crime, MUCS aims to promote greater integration between students on different courses studying criminology. Take advantage of a variety of socials as well as visits to institutions within the criminal justice field. MUCS are keen to promote a criminology identity within the School of Law and support criminology students during their time at university and beyond.

Streetlaw Society

The Manchester University Streetlaw Society is organised for first-year students by second years who conduct “Streetlaw” presentations. These aim to provide information on legal rights to local community groups who do not have access to such information. Projects have included schools, young offender institutions and the Chinese community. Taking part in Streetlaw involves researching the area of law required by each project, under the supervision of an academic, and then presenting your particular topic in teams to the relevant community. Over 100 first-year students regularly participate so this is also a great way to make new friends from the beginning of your degree.

The Bar Society

The School of Law Bar Society aims to help you develop skills vital to a legal career. They will help you to prepare for an annual internal mooting competition which is sponsored by an international law firm and judged by practitioners in the North West, as well as organising mooting sessions throughout the year. These include "speed mooting", an innovative version of mooting which requires preparing a mooting problem in a short period of time and offers a true representation of legal work.

The Society also supports students wishing to pursue a career at the Bar. You will have the opportunity to meet practising barristers on the Northern Bar Circuit, and get help and advice from pupils already working in Chambers.

The School of Law Bar Society is an excellent way to meet other students aspiring to the same career as a number of socials are arranged throughout the year, some of which are held at Barrister Chambers in Manchester.

Manchester Debating Society

The Debating Society provides the opportunities for you to participate in an internal debating competition, commencing in the autumn semester with teaching sessions on how to debate, and various “knock out” rounds leading to the final in the spring. Judges have included, Jeremy Paxman, Cherie Booth and Neil and Christine Hamilton.

The Debating committee liaises with the sponsoring law firm and organises the various aspects of the competition from start to finish. Debating is a vital and useful skill which will help you to develop presentation skills and the concept of lateral thinking, essential for any career.

Legal Advice Centre Society

Our Legal Advice Centre promotes the work of our Legal Advice Centres (both on campus and in East Manchester). You can get involved in workshops, arrange community outreach programmes e.g. in schools, and develop the use of bi-lingual student advisors to provide a translation service for clients. There is also the opportunity to help fundraise through social events.

Law in the City

'Law in the City' provides up to 40 first-year law students with a day in London (paid for by the firms) discovering the unique rewards of a legal career within many of the capital’s leading commercial law firms. By taking part you will attend their offices and learn, by way of interactive sessions, case studies and discussions with partners and Human Resources personnel, Life as a City lawyer.

The School of Law's student society activity is made possible by the contributions of our generous sponsors.

Pro Bono Society

The Pro Bono Society strives to serve the local community by promoting and facilitating access to justice. Through our various programmes, we hope to increase awareness of the importance of the legal system and the impact it can have on individuals. We are aware that there remains a vast amount of unmet legal need in our community and this is a problem we hope to alleviate.

The Pro Bono Society offers students the opportunity to get involved in group projects aiming to provide legal information to different sectors of the local community. These can be in the form of workshops, seminars, or information drop-in desks etc. Following the legal aid cuts, this has become a good way for the local community to gain information on legal rights as well as a great opportunity for students to gain experience in researching and public speaking.